Behavior Mgmt. – Social Stories, Role Playing, Mini Books, & More!

It’s that time of year. There are some years where it felt like some of my students were little jack-in-the-boxes. For the first few weeks or so, they tightly held themselves together. Suddenly, one day the little handle on the box went around one too many times and out popped all of these new behaviors. Those were the days when I was looking for the 3 teacher food groups at the end of the day . . . sweets, salty, and caffeine with a couple of Tylenol thrown in for good measure. I swear there were days where I spent more time handling conflict management than I did teaching. I felt more like Judge Judy than a teacher.

Sometimes this happens when the honeymoon is over. Cold, allergy, and flu season is hitting so students are not getting the best quality sleep. We all get grumpy when we feel under the weather.

Other times it is because you have gotten a new student. Sometimes all it takes is one student to affect the chemistry of your class.

Do you have a student that you feel like couldn’t get along with his/her own shadow? Is he/she the frequent topic of all of the tattles?

Does any of this sound familiar? You are not alone! I added a packet today of some of the things I found that helped me.

There are 15 signs that you can use different ways. Use one at a time to introduce the behavior issue and brainstorm solutions. Or print them on card stock and bind into a book.

There are black line printables of the same behavior issues as the signs (above) that has lines for the students to write their answers. This can be used as an extension. Or print a stack of the page of the issue your class is having problem with. Or use it individually for students who need a tool to help him or her reflect.

Do you need forms for RTI or conferences? The behavior log is a great visual and can help you find patterns in behavior issues.

Also included is an oops note. Student write what they did and what they should have done. This note is sent home for parent’s signature. Have your students nominate their classmates for a happy note. This is a great way to build a positive climate in your class. You can also choose “pen pals” and set the happy notes up as a writing center. Students will write to their pen pals about something positive they saw their pals do.

Role playing cards are also included. Print on cardstock, punch a hole, and put them on a ring. You can use these as sponge activities. Great way to review your expectations.

Or use them as a small group activity. Give each group a scenario to act out the right way and the wrong way. Of course, your students will love acting out the wrong way the best. But, there is something about acting out the right and wrong ways that seems to reach students.